release

I released my blog late last night to my community with these words:

Hello, all, I have a new expressive outlet to share with you, my blog The Fifth Chakra, which can be found at http://chakra5.blogspot.com . For those of you who haven't heard of blogs, they are online journals that are very easy to create and keep growing. For those of you who haven't heard of chakras, they are energy centers that access different levels of our being. The fifth chakra is located in the throat and is associated with expression, and so is extremely important to the life of a writer such as myself. This blog represents an attempt to be bolder in my self-expression, and to share elements of my life that I often camouflage out of sight. In particular it is focused on spiritual matters, such as dreams, psychic experiences, and the various influences that inform me on my path. It is an attempt to speak more directly and in a more accessible voice than in the past, when I often became lost to the world in scholarly mazes that did not concern anyone but myself. I do hope you will give it a look and keep coming back if you like what you see. You can leave comments on any entries that you see, and I invite you to share your responses with me. Meanwhile I am working on a brand new website for www.oldsoul.org, which will allow me to share a great deal more of my writing with you. - Kevin Johnson

I was rewarded for my newfound boldness with a lot of really positive responses from people, and a few scattered reactions that were not quite to the point. But I am undaunted and am determined to express myself fully come what may. I have sacrificed a great deal for my freedom. Not to use the creative license I have bought so dearly would be a crime. I am modeling myself after the panther at the end of Kafka's A Hunger Artist:

It ... never seemed to miss its freedom. This noble body, equipped with everything necessary, almost to the point of bursting, also appeared to carry freedom around with it. That seem to be located somewhere or other in its teeth, and its joy in living came with such strong passion from its throat that it was not easy for spectators to keep watching. But they controlled themselves, kept pressing around the cage, and had no desire to move on.